Safety appliance for automobiles



S. HILL. SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION FILED MAYIS. 1919.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

UNITED sTA'rns PATENT OFFICE.

s'rnvns'rnrt HILL, or NEWARK, New JERSEY.

SAFETY APPLIANCE non AUTOllIOBILES.

specification of Letters Iatent. Patented Mar. 23, 1920,

Application filed. May 16, 1919. Serial No. 297,456.

, of the difficulty to make complete the ignition circuit of? the automobile.

In this specification I use the term ignition circuit to identify that part of the electrical equipment ofthe car that. relates" to either the starting mechanism or the ignition itself, but for the purpose of description the circuit will be referred to as the ignition circuit.

The invention is designed to provide a device of this kind in which a key is adapted v to be inserted in a keyboard having a multiplicity .of openings, and, when inserted in the keyboard, the key completes the cir; cuit. If it is placed in most of the openings it completes the alarm circuit and energizes an alarm, usually an-audible signal in the shape of a hell, but if the ke is placed in one particular opening in the e board it completes the ignition circuit, so'

that it follows that one conversant with the particular hole in which to place the key completes the ignition circuit and the car can be operated, but if any one of the other openings is used for the insertion of the key it at once sounds the alarm. The chances are therefore remote, for anyone who does not know the particular opening in which to place the key, to operate "the ignition circuit. The strongest probability is that the proper opening will not be used at the first trial, and the owner or bystanders are warned that the car is'being tampered with by one not knowing how to operate it.

The improved appliance is also designed to be adjustable in that the contact point of the ignition system can be changed to 7 various openings at will, so that too long a use of any particular opening will not be necessary and the wear or marks around a hole that. result from constant use are eliminated, since all the holes can be used and a difierent hole selected each day or at longer intervals, if desired, and the paraway in the circuits.

ticular opening to be used for ignition can be changed. The invention is compact and the keyboard can be easily installed and conveniently arranged, the preferred place being in the dashboard of the vehicle, where the devices pertaining to this part of the car are usually located. p 1

In the accompanying drawing one type of appliance used in connection with my device is illustrated, .Figure 1 showing a side view of the keyboard used in, the appliance, part of the keyboard being broken to. show how the contacts areattached and to show the interior construction more clearly. Fig. 2 is a face view of the keyboard shownin'Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the disposition of'the circuitsand the keyboard In the installation of this keyboard that? is used may be of'any desired form or dimension, but I illustrate a keyboard 10 that is circular and which is adapted to be placed in the vehicle, preferably being set in the dashboard, and it has recesses 11 which receive a key 12. When the key is inserted in some of the recesses it will, through apparatus to be hereinafter described, complete the ignition circuit and permit the operation of the motor, ,and when inserted in other openingsjit will complete the alarm circuit and sound asuitable signal, preferably a bell, and in order to make the chances remote, in: anyone who does not know, to select the proper opening appliance the in which to place the key, I prefer to equip but one of the openings wlth the proper connections to complete the ignitlon circult.

The chances, therefore, are slim for anyone not conversant with the proper opening to make such connection as will insure the operation of the vehicle, and the chances are almost entirely in favor of such a person sounding the alarm and warning anyone in the yicinity that the car is being tampered with by one not authorized to do so.

The interiorconstruction of the keyboard can be varied as desired, but I have. shown one form which embraces a face plate-13,

behind whhlfmh is 'a metallic plate 14 whichformsa te inal or contact which is substantially lparallel to a terminal or contact 15, the plates 14 and 15 being separated by a disk'of insulation 16; A suitable cover 17 can be installed on the back of the 'key- Q and or washer made of insulating material.

board for the purpose of keeping out dust and moisture. e

The openings 11 are disposed as desired extendthrough the plate 13 and the metallic contact 14 and also through the plate 15. The wire 18 is-connected to the plate 7 14 by a suitable connection, such as 19, the wire being connected to the battery 20 or other suitable. source of power. The wlre '21 is attached to the plate 15, the wire 21,

being connected to an alarm 22 and the battery 20 being connected by a wire 23 with the alarm 22. It willbe evident that an electrical connection established between 14 and 15 will complete the circuit.

A preferred form of connection for the wire 21 is by means of a screw 24, the head 25 of which projects into the opening 11 at the end thereof. There is a screwat the end of each recess 11, and each screw is held in place preferably by a nut 26 so that the wire 23 can be applied to any of the contacts where it is-mos t convenient.

The ignition circuit includes the wire 18,

the battery 20 and a wire 27 connecting the source of power with a suitable device such as the spark plug 28, from which a wlre 29 leads, the wire 29 being fastened to one of the screws 24, this particular screw being separated from the contact 15 by a collar Inthe particularform shown, the top recess in Fig. 2 provided with the number 1 is illustrated as being the one by means of which, the tact 15, and the bottom one numbered 11 is the recess, the screw at the bottom of which is provided with the insulation and also is attached to the wire 29. The recesses can be suitably identified by numbers or letters or otherwise.

The key 12 is inserted in any of the openings 11 and is provided with the part 31 which engages the contact 14, and the end 32, which is preferablysplit to give it good binding contact, is adapted to engage the head 25 of the screw 24, which happens to be in the recess or hole into which the key is inserted. It will be evident that if the key is inserted in any of the openings other than the one numbered 11 in Fig. 2, the alarm circuit is completed and the bell 22 or other signal is operated. One conversant,

wire 21 is connected to the con-- however, with the device places the key 12 in the opening in which the terminal at the end of the opening is connected with the wire 29 and thus completes the ignition circuit and does not complete the alarm circuit and the car can be operated.

To prevent the constant use of one recess for the ignition circuit, and thus preventing its becoming apparent by reason of the wear and signs of use around it, the wire 29 can be connected to any other of the screws 24 and such screw at the same time insulate from the contact plate 13 and thus made the terminal of the ignition circuit.

This device has an added advantage in that it does not require the expenditure of any time, by one familiar with the position of the opening that is provided with the ignition circuit terminal, in adj usting or otherwise manipulating a combination lock or other disk devices that require particular locks for the connection. The key 12 is usually carried in the pocket when it is taken out of the keyboard, but if it is desired to attach the key or jack 12 to the car, it can be fastened to the end of the wire 18 and the plate 14 eliminated.

I claim:

1. A selective circuit closing device for more than one circuit comprising a keyboard having two plates insulated from each other, the front plate having recesses, removable contacts on the rear plate and disposed so as to be alined with the recesses, one of said contacts being insulated from the rear plate, and a key to fit in any of the recesses and when so fitted to contact with the front plate when in contact with the contact at the end of the recess.

2. A selective circuit closing device comprising a keyboard having two plates insulated from each other, the front plate having recesses, removable circuit terminals on the back plate and alined with the recesses,

insulation means for attachment to a se- May, 1919.

SYLVESTER HILL. 

